Times have changed. The AJ Center is an improved version of a 1900s Madison Avenue ad shop crowded with creative egos scheming, slandering, and weaving propaganda for the spotlight in an environment suffocating with cigarette smoke and male chauvinism. Today marketing agencies like ours pursue galactic goals and achieve colossal impact for our clients from the comfort of our homes without sexually objectifying women in brand messages.
We keep the lights on without selling cigarettes that cause cancer or capitulating to brands that cause our planet to heat. We hire an almost equal number of women as men and let them drive strategies that enhance brand reputation, customer trust, and loyalty on a slim budget.
Straight away, let’s examine some of the key trends that will continue to reshape the role of marketers in the coming years.
1. The Growing Power of Social Media
Today, thanks to digitalization, companies connect to customers in deeper and more transparent ways than ever thought possible. Technology brought us here, and combined with an aching desire to change things – the result was explosive.
Not so long ago, we and many others in our niche realized a growing demand for high-quality yet affordable services. We had this righteous desire to drive out brands that disregard customer needs, morals, and societal values.
With increased social media usage, it was easy to relegate such brands into digital obscurity by flooding the digital space with thousands of reviews highlighting better alternatives.
That explains why new businesses have bigger voices online today. If you can move the masses, you don’t need to worry about deep pockets. And as a CMO, the power to influence mass opinions is literally at your fingertips.
2. PR and News Marketing
At The AJ Center, we use PR as a cost-effective approach to enhancing brand awareness and credibility in the B2B markets we serve. I must say that communicating with media people isn’t as easy as it used to be. With more media houses going digital by the day, old forms of PR don’t work anymore. Networking on digital platforms like LinkedIn, Featured, or HARO is the most effective way to connect with reporters.
I recommend approaching the journalist staff directly for pitches- you can send them direct messages on social media or grab their emails from their bios. However, given the high number of pitches they get, journalists prefer you give them at least three days before you send a follow-up with another email. Respect their right to choose or ignore your story.
3. Customer Centric Culture
In a world that is rapidly getting robotized, cultivating a customer-centric culture that prioritizes clients’ needs above all else can be a game changer. You can use this strategy as a differentiator, and it will help boost customer loyalty, accelerate growth, and improve our reputation in the industry.
One major tip I’d like to share for creating a customer-centric culture is actively listening to clients and incorporating their feedback into your business plans. A human-centric and feedback-driven approach helped us improve our services, ensuring they were aligned with client needs.
4. Employee Brand Ambassadorship
Employees can play a crucial role in shaping brand culture and customer engagement. That’s where the carrot-and-stick methodology comes in. Reward those who take the initiative to be creative and innovative and let everyone notice. If your teams are motivated enough, pretty soon, everyone will start showing increased passion, determination, and self-drive in representing your brand favorably in the outside world.
After introducing performance-based bonuses for my team, my top marketers started promoting our brand in their networks on their own accord, which greatly catapulted our brand awareness in B2B markets. Shortly after, everyone was doing it, and leads started flowing in at a high rate, leading to thousands in additional revenue for us.
5. AI Fears
Technological advancement is more fast-paced than ever, presenting opportunities and challenges to startups and brands. Many startups struggle to keep up with the latest trends and effectively leverage emerging technologies in their strategies.
It takes time and effort to fully understand Artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and voice search, and developing critical policies for monetization or revenue optimization around them is all the more challenging.
Maintaining an in-house team of experts may help to stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and build an understanding of how they can help improve customer experiences.
5. The Age of Purpose
Gone are the days of trying to manipulate prices or trick or scare customers with advertisements. From experience, I know customers act not because they are swayed but because they are inspired. You can hire the most respected men in the industry to run your business, bring in big software solutions, and track insane metrics, but all that would be meaningless if you fail to inspire.
Give your customers a sense of belonging. The best brands that inspire a large following are driven by a vision nobler than profitability. Those who lead these businesses aim to impact and transform how people live. They build a community around their brand and make it a vital societal symbol. You can do it too. Build customer loyalty around shared values and beliefs. Your brand has to symbolize essential things, whether that is “family,” “innovation,” “tradition,” “class,” etc.
Conclusion
Like any other business executives, marketing professionals have had to rethink their strategies due to rapid trends in the business environment. Change is inevitable, but success belongs to those who can adapt fast and drive more value for their customers.
